- Diogo de Freitas do Amaral
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Diogo de Freitas do Amaral
diˈoɡu ˈfɾɐjtɐʃ du ɐmɐˈɾaɫ
Diogo Amaral in 2005 Minister of Foreign Affairs In office
12 March 2005 – 1 July 2006Prime Minister José Sócrates Preceded by António Monteiro Succeeded by Luís Amado In office
10 January 1980 – 12 January 1981Prime Minister Francisco de Sá Carneiro Preceded by João Cardoso Succeeded by André Pereira Acting Prime Minister of Portugal In office
4 December 1980 – 9 January 1981President António Ramalho Eanes Preceded by Francisco de Sá Carneiro Succeeded by Francisco Pinto Balsemão President of the United Nations General Assembly In office
15 September 1995 – 14 September 1996Preceded by Amara Essy Succeeded by Razali Ismail Personal details Born 21 July 1941
Póvoa de Varzim, PortugalPolitical party None (Democratic and Social Centre - People's Party previously, already supported the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party). Spouse(s) Maria José Salgado Sarmento de Matos Diogo Pinto de Freitas do Amaral, GCC, GCSE, GCIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [diˈoɡu ˈfɾɐjtɐʃ du ɐmɐˈɾaɫ]; b. Póvoa de Varzim, 21 July 1941), usually referred to as either Freitas do Amaral or informally Freitas, is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 March 2005 to 1 July 2006. He also served briefly as Prime Minister in an interim capacity in the early 1980s.
Contents
Background
He is the third but first surviving son of Duarte de Freitas do Amaral and wife Maria Filomena de Campos Trocado, and the older brother of João de Freitas do Amaral.
Career
He is a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Law specialised in Administrative Law and Political Science from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, and a Cathedratic Professor in the Faculty of Law at the New University of Lisbon and is also a publicist.
Currently, he is Professor in the Faculty of Law of the Lusófona University of Lisbon, where he teaches and governs the chair of the Economics of Public Law in Law degree, developing other teaching activities in the same college.
In 1974, some months after the Carnation Revolution, he was one of the Founders and President of then Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), a right-wing party. He led this party till 1985, and again from 1988 to 1991. He served as a Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic (the Portuguese Parliament) from 1975 to 1982 or 1983, and again in 1992 and 1993.He was also a Member of the Portuguese Council of State between 1974 and 1982.
In the parliamentary elections of 1979 and 1980, the Democratic Alliance (of which the CDS was a part) won a majority and formed the government, in which Freitas served as Deputy Prime Minister or Vice-Prime-Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1980 and Deputy Prime Minister or Vice-Prime-Minister and Minister of Defence between 1981 and 1983. After the death of Francisco Sá Carneiro, Freitas do Amaral was interim Prime Minister for a short period between 1980 and 1981. Between 1981 and 1982 he was also the President of the European People's Party.
He was a candidate in 1985 for the presidency in the 1986 presidential election. Supported by his own People's Party and by the Social Democratic Party, he established a commanding lead in the first round, but lost the second round by some 150,000 votes to Mário Soares, who was endorsed by the two eliminated candidates.
He was President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1995 and until 1996.
A European Federalist, he left the party he founded, disagreeing mainly with the Eurosceptic line followed by Manuel Monteiro and Paulo Portas.
Always seen as a right-winger, Freitas do Amaral supported the Social Democratic Party in the parliamentary election of 2002. However, disappointed with the government performance, and critical of its support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Freitas do Amaral surprised many observers by announcing his support for the Socialist Party in the 2005 election. He was subsequently nominated for Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the XVII Constitutional Government, led by the Socialist leader José Sócrates. He resigned after a little over one year in office, citing health reasons and, as revealed to a newspaper, tiredness resulting from the many diplomatic trips taken.
He was also a Juridical Consultant of many companies.
He has authored a biography of King Afonso I and a play of Viriato.
He also published a study concerning the situation and reform of prison system in Portugal.
Decorations
- Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
- Grand Cross of the Order of Saint James of the Sword
- Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
Marriage and issue
He married in Sintra, Santa Maria, on 31 July 1965 Maria José Salgado Sarmento de Matos, born in Lisbon on 13 October 1943, writer under the pseudonym Maria Roma, daughter of José Sarmento Osório de Vasconcelos de Matos (Moimenta da Beira, 28 July 1909 - Sintra, 17 July 1992), a maternal grandson of the 2nd Viscount (formerly Barons) of Moimenta da Beira, and wife (m. Lisbon, 27 January 1940) Maria do Carmo Roma Machado Cardoso Salgado (Lisbon, Santa Isabel, 18 February 1914 -), a half-grand-niece of the 1st Viscount de Faria e Maia, and has four children:
- Pedro Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral (b. Lisbon, 2 July 1966), unmarried and without issue
- Domingos Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral (b. Lisbon, 12 October 1967), journalist and writer, has two children from his ex wife and also has a daughter from his current wife Sofia Jardim (b.lisbon, 18 August 1974):
- Carolina Gentil de Quina de Freitas do Amaral (b. 27 October 1998)
- Duarte Gentil de Quina de Freitas do Amaral (b. 19 August 2001)
- Leonor Jardim de Freitas do Amaral (b. Lisbon, 8 May 2009)
- Filipa Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral (b. Lisbon, 16 June 1969), married and divorced on 16 December 2008 to Manuel Francisco Daun e Lorena de Barros e Carvalhosa, son of José Rodrigo de Barros de Saldanha e Carvalhosa (b. Lisbon, 2 May 1933), son of the 3rd Viscount of Santarém and 3rd Viscount (formerly Barons) of Vila Nova da Rainha (b. 18 July 1966), and wife Dona Maria Domingas de Carvalho Daun e Lorena (b. Lisbon, 21 August 1938), of the Marquesses of Pombal, Counts of Oeiras and Counts of Santiago de Beduído, without issue
- Joana Sarmento de Matos de Freitas do Amaral (b. Lisbon, 16 June 1971), married to Gonçalo de Aragão Morais Teotónio Pereira, son of Alberto de Bettencourt Teotónio Pereira (b. Lisbon, 23 June 1929), himself the son of Luís Teotónio Pereira and wife Alice de Azevedo Gomes de Bettencourt, and wife (m. Lisbon, Benfica, 27 June 1955) Maria Helena de Medeiros de Aragão Morais (b. Lisbon, São Sebastião da Pedreira, 28 August 1931), and has two children:
- José Maria de Freitas do Amaral Teotónio Pereira
- Teresa de Freitas do Amaral Teotónio Pereira
Ancestors
Ancestors of Diogo Pinto de Freitas do AmaralReferences
- Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal, III, 2006, Tomo IV, pg. 862 to 873
- Costados, Gonçalo de Mesquita da Silveira de Vasconcelos e Sousa, Livraria Esquina, 1.ª Edição, Porto, 1997, N.º 55
Diplomatic posts Preceded by
Amara EssyPresident of the United Nations General Assembly
1995–1996Succeeded by
Razali IsmailPolitical offices Preceded by
João Carlos Lopes CardosoMinister of Foreign Affairs
1980–1981Succeeded by
André Gonçalves PereiraPreceded by
Francisco Sá CarneiroPrime Minister of Portugal
1980–1981Succeeded by
Francisco Pinto BalsemãoPreceded by
António MonteiroMinister of Foreign Affairs
2005–2006Succeeded by
Luís AmadoPresident of the United Nations General Assembly 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Categories:- 1941 births
- Living people
- People from Póvoa de Varzim
- Prime Ministers of Portugal
- Portuguese foreign ministers
- Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly
- Members of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)
- Portuguese presidential candidates
- Permanent Representatives of Portugal to the United Nations
- Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party politicians
- Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 1st Class
- University of Lisbon alumni
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